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April is Autism Acceptance Month, a time to celebrate neurodiversity and individual differences and honor the unique lived experiences of people with autism! For perspectives about life on the spectrum, browse these books about neurodiversity or featuring neurodivergent characters:

KIDS

Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt

Seventh-grader Selah Godfrey knows that to be “normal,” she has to keep her feelings tightly controlled when people are around, but after hitting a fellow student, she needs to figure out just what makes her different–and why that is ok. 

A Boy Called Bat by Elana Arnold

When his veterinarian mom brings home a stray baby skunk that needs rehabilitation before it can be placed in a wild animal shelter, Bat, who has autism, resolves to prove that he is up to the challenge of caring for the skunk permanently.

TEENS

Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman

Iselia “Seelie” Graygrove looks just like her twin, Isolde… But as an autistic changeling left in the human world by the fae as an infant, she has always known she is different. Seelie’s unpredictable magic makes it hard for her to fit in – and draws her and Isolde into the hunt for a fabled treasure. In a heist gone wrong, the sisters make some unexpected allies and find themselves unraveling a mystery that has its roots in the history of humans and fae alike. Both sisters soon discover that the secrets of the faeries may be more valuable than any pile of gold and jewels. But can Seelie harness her magic in time to protect her sister and herself?

Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings

Working as an intern for her sister’s start-up isn’t exactly how Tilly wants to spend her summer, but the required travel around Europe promises a much-needed change of scenery as she plans for her future. The problem is, Tilly has no idea what she wants. Oliver knows exactly what he wants. His autism has often made it hard for him to form relationships with others, but his love of color theory and design allows him to feel deeply connected to the world around him, and he is starting a summer internship to build his resume. Everything is going as planned. That is, until he suffers through the most disastrous flight of his life, all turmoil stemming from lively and exasperating Tilly. Oliver is forced to spend the summer with a girl that couldn’t be more his opposite, and starts to wonder if maybe he doesn’t have everything figured out after all. As the duo’s neurodiverse connection grows, they learn that some of the best parts of life can’t be planned, and are forced to figure out what that means as their disastrously wonderful summer comes to an end.

ADULTS

Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8 by Naoki Higashida

In short, powerful chapters, this young author with severe autism explores education, identity, family, society, and personal growth. He also allows readers to experience profound moments we take for granted, like the thought-steps necessary for him to register that it’s raining outside. This book is part memoir, part critique of a world that sees disabilities ahead of disabled people. It is a self-portrait-in-progress of a young man who happens to have autism, and who wants to help us understand it better.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor’s dog and uncovers secret information about his mother.

Jen Pace Dickenson is the Youth Services Librarian for Polk County Public Libraries. For information about the library’s resources, programs, and other services, visit polklibrary.org or call (828) 894-8721.